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Craig Dollansky's first season with Kasey Kahne Racing has had its ups and downs. With 27 top-10 and 11 top-5 finishes, Dollansky has certainly been a contender on many occasions but much to his frustration Victory Lane had eluded him. That all changed Sunday night at Lebanon Valley Speedway in West Lebanon, NY, as Dollansky, starting second, used a strong start to jump pole-sitter Steve Kinser and led all 25 laps to take his first win of the year and 29th of his World of Outlaws Sprint series career. Kinser faced a tough challenge from Danny Lasoski for second, but ultimately held him off to take the position with Lasoski finishing third to round out the podium.
After the race Dollansky was both excited and relieved by the win, having watched his teamate Joey Saldana take 12 victories already this season: “It's great to be back in Victory Lane,” said Dollansky. “My crew has been working so hard, I am so happy to win this one for them. Kasey Kahne Racing is a great organization. We made some changes that seem to be suiting me better. These guys work hard as does everyone that stands behind this team. I am just so glad that we got our first win.”
“That car was a joy to drive. It's been a while since I had a race car like that and again it goes back to some of the changes that we made and I am really happy with it. Speedway Motors does a great job with our engines. This whole team works hard. I am so happy for everyone that supports this team and my family and fans. I couldn't be happier for all of them.” Kinser's second place marked his 22nd top-5 finish of the season, a number bested only by series points leader Donny Schatz (25). Having led the overall standings briefly earlier in the year, he currently sits in fourth and remains within striking distance for the championship, trailing Donny Schatz by 102 points. Lasoski, who has been one of the hottest drivers on the circuit the past two months, continued to impress and though he was unable to find a way past Kinser, he was nonetheless very satisfied with the result.“I'm really proud of this team and everyone did a great job tonight,” said Lasoski. “Tonight was like always, when you can start in the front row is pretty good. The (No.) 19 car (Dollansky) has been knocking on the door of getting a win and my hat is off to them and ‘The King' (Kinser) is always tough. We'll go on to Canada and see if we can win there.”
Donny Schatz and Jason Meyers both finished in the positions they started from, fourth and fifth respectively, to complete the top-5. The World of Outlaws Sprint Series will continue this week with a pair of races on Tuesday and Wednesday evenings from Ohsweken Speedway in Ontario, Canada, before heading back stateside for a race Saturday night at K-C Raceway in Chilicothe, OH. Race Results (Top 10 Finishers): 1) 19-Craig Dollansky 2) 11-Steve Kinser 3) 6-Danny Lasoski 4) 15-Donny Schatz 5) 14-Jason Meyers 6) 9-Joey Saldana 7) 7S-Jason Sides 8) 5W-Lucas Wolfe 9) 35-Chad Kemenah 10) 20-Kraig Kinser 2009 Season Standings: 1. Donny Schatz 5763 2. Jason Meyers 5712 -51 3. Joey Saldana 5670 -93 4. Steve Kinser 5661 -102 5. Danny Lasoski 5522 -241 6. Jason Sides 5503 -260 7. Craig Dollansky 5410 -353 8. Jac Haudenschild 5312 -451 9. Kraig Kinser 5260 -503 10. Lucas Wolfe 4918 -845 MORE WORLD OF OUTLAWS NEWS
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